Birth of the Symbol

Ancient Readers at the Limits of Their Texts

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Ancient & Classical, Nonfiction, History, Ancient History
Cover of the book Birth of the Symbol by Peter T. Struck, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Peter T. Struck ISBN: 9781400826094
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: February 9, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Peter T. Struck
ISBN: 9781400826094
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: February 9, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Nearly all of us have studied poetry and been taught to look for the symbolic as well as literal meaning of the text. Is this the way the ancients saw poetry? In Birth of the Symbol, Peter Struck explores the ancient Greek literary critics and theorists who invented the idea of the poetic "symbol."

The book notes that Aristotle and his followers did not discuss the use of poetic symbolism. Rather, a different group of Greek thinkers--the allegorists--were the first to develop the notion. Struck extensively revisits the work of the great allegorists, which has been underappreciated. He links their interest in symbolism to the importance of divination and magic in ancient times, and he demonstrates how important symbolism became when they thought about religion and philosophy. "They see the whole of great poetic language as deeply figurative," he writes, "with the potential always, even in the most mundane details, to be freighted with hidden messages."

Birth of the Symbol offers a new understanding of the role of poetry in the life of ideas in ancient Greece. Moreover, it demonstrates a connection between the way we understand poetry and the way it was understood by important thinkers in ancient times.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Nearly all of us have studied poetry and been taught to look for the symbolic as well as literal meaning of the text. Is this the way the ancients saw poetry? In Birth of the Symbol, Peter Struck explores the ancient Greek literary critics and theorists who invented the idea of the poetic "symbol."

The book notes that Aristotle and his followers did not discuss the use of poetic symbolism. Rather, a different group of Greek thinkers--the allegorists--were the first to develop the notion. Struck extensively revisits the work of the great allegorists, which has been underappreciated. He links their interest in symbolism to the importance of divination and magic in ancient times, and he demonstrates how important symbolism became when they thought about religion and philosophy. "They see the whole of great poetic language as deeply figurative," he writes, "with the potential always, even in the most mundane details, to be freighted with hidden messages."

Birth of the Symbol offers a new understanding of the role of poetry in the life of ideas in ancient Greece. Moreover, it demonstrates a connection between the way we understand poetry and the way it was understood by important thinkers in ancient times.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book A Modern Legal Ethics by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book Social Trends in American Life by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book Credit and Blame by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book Wind Wizard by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book Truth and Truthfulness by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book A Biologist's Guide to Mathematical Modeling in Ecology and Evolution by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book Economics for the Common Good by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book The Seduction of Unreason by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book Double Vision by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book The Subject of Liberty by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book Reaching for Power by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book The Bankers' New Clothes by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book Statistical and Thermal Physics by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book The Internet Trap by Peter T. Struck
Cover of the book The Secrets of Pirate Management by Peter T. Struck
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy